A never-ending to-do list, a demanding boss, working weekends, late nights, missed meals and an inbox constantly buzzing with deadline reminders – does this sound familiar?
In today’s corporate career, it is common to succumb to work pressure and feel overwhelmed. So, what do you generally do when you feel overwhelmed at work?
Endure the feeling? Work more strenuously? Punish yourself with a more packed schedule with lesser breaks? Isolate yourself? Well, if this is what you do – you are doing it wrong!
If you don’t nip the problem in the bud, it may lead to productivity issues hampering your career and may even go to the extent of impacting your health and personal life adversely.
Here are 5 simple yet effective ways to stop feeling overwhelmed at work:
1. Acknowledge the problem
Admitting that you need help is the first step towards recovery. Denying would only push you deeper into it. Once you accept the fact that you are overwhelmed at work, you can try to seek solutions. If work pressure is weighing you down, depriving you of free time, then it’s time to change the situation before the situation changes you.
2. Plan and prioritize
When everything hits you at once, it can feel like too much and there is a risk of you missing out on something important. At such times making ‘To-do’ lists will come in handy. Or if you need to make a plan to achieve a task, then breaking it up in steps and writing them down not only helps you clear your mind but prioritize. During tough times, having a plan not only helps relieve considerable stress but ensures all essential tasks are accomplished.
3. Take a break
A 10-minute walk can change your life! Pressuring yourself more when you are already stressed out is not advisable. Give yourself a break – go for a walk, talk to a colleague or confidante at work or simply close your eyes and rest for a few minutes. Make sure you take proper rest no matter how bad things are and spend time with family when you can. This helps to de-stress and calm your mind.
4. Face your fears
Have you been postponing difficult tasks out of fear? Unfinished tasks can pile up and add to your overall stress overwhelming you further. Break the back of it by taking up the toughest task first.
5. Look for creative solutions
Take a break and let your mind wander. Brainstorm with others. Often such discussions, especially when you are in a corner, result in some out of the box thinking, helping you achieve the impossible
We all go through such phases at some point or the other in our careers, but if the situation continues to persist, it might be time to Find Better.
